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G. B. DURKEE.

APPARATUS-FOB FORMING VIOLIN CASH COVERS.

No. 370,'731. Patented Sept. 21887.

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` G. B. DURKEE.

APPARATUS FOR FORMING VIOLIN GASE GOVERS.

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- G. B.-"DURKEE.

APPARATUS POR FORMING VIOLIN GASE COVERS. No. 370.731. Pateited'Sept. 211887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE B. DURKEE, OF CHIOAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO LYON & HEALY, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR FORMING VIOLIN-CASE COVERS.

SPECIPICATION orming part of Letters Patent No. 370.731, dated September 27, 1887.

Application filed September 2, 1886. Serial No. 212.469.

To all whom 't may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. DURKEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Forming Violin-Oase Covers, of which the following is a specification.

A violin-case usually contracts in width ro from one end to the other, the wider end portion of the case being adapted for the reception of the body of a violin. In order to adapt the capacity of the case to the height of the violin-bridge when the violin is strung up and laid with the case, the lid or cover of the latter has been formed with a longitudinallyarranged bulge or raised portion adapted in height to the height of the bridge and strings. Violin-cases of such construction have been 2o made of wood and the covers bent upon a heated die or iron; but in such instance it has been found impossible to prevent a large proportion of the covers from cracking or splitting along the bend, and where it has been at- 2 5 tempted to form the cover with a bulge or i raised portion decreasing in height and width from one end to the other, and having its higher wider end portion at the wider endportion of the cover, it has been found necessary to remove a portion of the wood from the middle part of the wider end of the cover and to subsequently fill up the crack with glue, or with a proximately triangular-shaped piece glued into the space left by such prior removal of a portion of the wood, since, without the removal of such piece preparatory to pressing the flat board into shape, the wood in a majority of cases splits along its bent or dished portion-as, for example, along the 0 wder higher end of the aforesaid raised portion, or at that portion of the wider end which is beyond the raised part of the cover. This disposition of the wood to crack has rendered the construction of a violin-case cover of any of the harder and finer grades of wood an exceedingly difficult matter, and in a majority of instances, irrespectiveof the kind of wood employed, imperfections are commonly found. The object of my invention is to obviate all of the difficulties which, prior to my invention, have attended the manufacture of vio- (No model.)

lin-case covers, and to provide nove] and improved means whereby the covers of any or all kinds of wood desirable for violin-cases can be rapidly and effectively pressed into the 5 5 ultimate required shape without cracking or splitting.

To the attainnent of the foregoing and other useful ends, I provide, in connection with a pair of dies for pressing or dishing up a longitudinally-extending middle portion of the cover-board, an intermediately-disposed preparatory bending and clamping device, which, prior to the operation of dishing up the coverboard by the action of the dies, is operated to bend the cover-board upon one of the dies along a line transversely to the length of the cover, and to hold the board along such line closely upon the transver'se Outline of the die, after which, the dies are closed, so as to press or dish up the cover-board.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating an apparatus for shaping violin-case covers in accordance with the principles of my invention, Figure 1 r'epresents a top plan View of said ap- 7 5 paratus. Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the same,taken on a vertical plane at one side hand-wheel. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the clamp detached from' the apparatus or machine. Fig. 4 represents said apparatus in side elevation, with the dies in an open condition and with the board froni which the violin-case cover is formed clamped upon one of the dies. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal central section through the apparatus, with the handwheel and screw shown in elevation:` Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the upper female die in an inverted position. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the lower male die. Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the board after it has been :3 compressed between and bent into shape by the dies. Fig. 9 is a bottom plan View of said board. Fig. 10 is a transverse section o-f the board on the line a: x, Fig. 8.

In said drawings, A indicates one and B the 9 5 other of a pair of hollow dies, which can be heated in any suitable way-as, for example, by gas-flames or by steam. Preferably, however, the hollow dies are heated by stean in a manner similar to the way in which hollow ICO dies have heretofore been stearn-heated in apparatus for shaping steamed boards for trunk jointed steam-pipe connection being upon such occasions usually provided between the two dies, whereby a more uniform heat is obtained, and all danger of the dies becoming so hot as to burn the material which is being pressed between them is avoided.

The die A has its face provided with a lon gitudinally-arranged depression, A', which con tracts or diminishes both in height and width from one end to the other, the wider end of said depression being desirably rounded in marginal Outline, or formed so as to approximate to one end portion of an ellipse.

The die B has its face provided with a longitudinally-arranged raised portion, B', which corresponds in shape to the concavity or de pression of the die A, these said face portions of the die being best shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

The die A is arranged so that it can be brought down upon the die B, in order that the wood placed between said dies may be pressed into shape. The preferred arrangement of these dies is to secure the lower die, B, upon asuitable support, which can be ar` ranged so as to maintain the diein an inelned position, it being found that such position is the most convenient one for pcrmitting theintroduction of the work between the dies. The

upper die is at its lower end hung upon or hinged to some suitable support-as, for example, it can be pivoted to bearings 13 formed with or secured to the lower end of the lower die. As herein shown, the female die Ais the upper one of the two dies, although of course the positions of the dies could be reversed, so as to bring the male die uppermost. It is prefcrable, however, to adhere to the present arrangement, since, preparatory to bringing the dies together, I propose clamping the work at a certain point upon the lower die by means of a clamp, C, which serves to hold the work against the die at every point on a line taken transversely through the work.

The clamp C consists of a yoke arranged to. straddle the lower die, and having its upper cross-piece, c, shaped into conformity to the transverse Outline of the face of the lower die ata point between the ends of the raised portion B' and adjacent to the terminal of the widest portion of said raised part of the dieface. The position of this clamp may be somewhat varied from that herein shown; but, desirably, it is arranged over the widest portion of the raised part of the die-face, and is supported in a manner to permit the work to be inserted between the lower die and the yoke and to then permit the latter to be drawn down, so as to clamp the work upon the lower die.

The upper die is provided with a transversely arranged groove or channel, A adapted to receive the upper cross portion of the yoke-shaped clamp when the upper die is brought down upon the work, in which way,

while the work is being pressed between the dies, it will at a certain point be held by the clamp and thereby prevented from spreading out to an extent which might cause it to split along its raised portion.

l'n practice a board, D, rounded at its ends and tapering from one to the other, as in Fig. 8 or 9, is first steamcd or soaked in hot water un til it becomes sufficiently'pliable, after which it is placed between the clamp C and the lower die, and the said clamp brought down so as to clamp the board upon thelower die, as inFig. 4, the configuration of the clamp serving to press the material of the board against the lower die on a line transversely to the length of the board. The upper die is then brought down upon the work so as to press the same upon the lower die, as in Figs. 2 and 5,during which operation the board will bend or pucker at its wider end, as illustrated in Fg. 1, until it has been finally compressed between the dies. This tendeney of the board to pueker would in a majority of cases cause the board to split when it is finally pressed out between the dies,were it not for the clamp,which, ad jacent to said end, holds the board against any disposition it may have to spread out,

The intermediate preparatory bending and clamping device, C, part-akes of the shape of the dishing-up portion of one of the die-faces on a line transversely to the length of the die,

and is desirably arrangedat a pointwhere the widest extentof transverse diesurface occurs,

it being understood that the widest extent of die-surface in a line transversely to the length of the die will correspond to the portion of the dished-up board about on line x x,Fig. 8. After the cover-board, in afiat condition, has been placed upon one of the dies and the clamp operated to bend the board along aline transversely to its length and in conformity to a line transversely across the dishing-up face of one of said dies, the dies can be closed. During the consequent dishing up of the board the material of the board at the end last clamped between the dies (for instance, the end of the board at the extreme left, Figs. 4 and 5) seems to be crowded together, rather than to spread apart, the fibers being to some extent compacted, and hence while the wood may puckerj ust prior to the finish the straightening out of the puckered portion between the dies will not split the wood,which, by the preliminary crowding together of its fibers, stands ready for subsequent attenuation to bring it back to its normal condition. By such means I am enabled to rapidly and economically shape the boards without their splitting. The board thus pressed between the dies is for a short time left in such condition,in order that the heat upon the dies may dry the board and set it to a shape into which it has thus been pressed.

As a convenient means for Operating the clamp, it is pivoted at its ends eccentrically upon the ends of a rock-shaft, E, which is supported in bearings e below the lower die and IOO IIO

provided with a handle, E', whereby it can be readily operated for the purpose of raising it from ordrawing it down toward the faces of the lower die.

The means herein shown for raising and lowering the upper die consists of a screw, F, arranged to bear at its lower end upon the upper die and at its top provided with a handwheel. This screw works through a hearing in the upper portion of a yoke,which may consist of a cross-bar, G, connected by rods or standards, or other suitable connection,with the lower stationary die.

In Fig. 1, H indicates a steam pipe arranged to enter the die A near the upper portion of the latter, said pipe being suitably jointed, so as to permit said die to be freely raised and lowered. Dhe upper die connects at its lower end with awaste-pipe, H', through which water of condensation can be carried off.

Steam is admitted into the lower die through the steam-pipe I, and water carried off' from said diethrough the waste-pipe I'.

It will be observed that the dies are arranged so that the contracted ends of their respectively allotted raised and depressed portion shall be nearest the point at which the dies are hinged together or at which the upper movable die is used, in which way during operation the pressing action commcnces at the narrow end of the board, and from thence is distributed toward the wider end thereof. It is found that this arrangement is preferable to the bringing the dies together at the start and that better results are obtained.

What I claim as my invention is In an apparatus for shaping violin-case covers having a longitudinally-arranged raised or disled-up portion, the combination, substantially as herein described, of the two dies adapted for dishing up such longitudinallyextending middle portion of the cover-board, the intermediate preparatory bending and clamping device shaped in conformity to one of the die-faces on a line transversely across the dishing-up portion thereof and arranged for bending and clamping upon said portion of the dieface one cover-board along a line transversely to its length, and a clamp-actuating device for Operating the said prepara: tory bending and clamping device prior to the closing of the dies upon the cover-board,

'one of said dies being provided across its face with a recess wherein the preparatory bending and clamping device is received when the dies are brought together, substantially as described.

GEORGE B. DURKEE.

Witnesses:

CHAS. G. PAGE, L. S. LOGAN. 

